Florida police charged an amateur MMA fighter with manslaughter after a U.S. airman was killed during a brawl in the parking lot of a bar.
Investigators said that the fight began Sunday inside the Coyote Ugly Saloon in Panama City Beach and moved outside to the parking lot.
The Panama City Beach Police Department said in an incident report that 31-year-old Dayvon Larry likely did not participate in the brawl but that he might have known someone who did.
When the fight moved outside, Larry went to defend his friend, who was being beaten, when he was punched once in the back of the head.
Police responded to calls about the fight at about 11 p.m. and transported Larry to a hospital where he later died.
Video footage from surveillance allowed police to identify Ross Johnson as the suspect. Investigators said that Johnson initially gave them conflicting narratives about the altercation but eventually confessed. They also allegedly found evidence from his Snapchat account that indicated he allegedly acknowledged that Larry had been killed.
A medical examiner found that Larry had died of blunt force trauma.
Johnson is a 23-year-old amateur mixed martial arts fighter from Carterville, Illinois. He had fought seven fights and…
